


Merry Christmas (first of many)

by jeyhawk



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Christmas, First Kiss, First Meetings, M/M, Pining, Teen Angst, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 11:40:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8749231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeyhawk/pseuds/jeyhawk
Summary: High School AU. Jim moves in next door. Leo kind of likes him. (Teen romance fluff with a vague Christmas theme.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> **Trigger warning(s):** Brief use of homophobic language, coming out elements, vague mentions of Jim’s shitty home situation, a (mostly off-screen) fist fight, very brief Bones/other. Unbetaed, which almost certainly means some British word use and comma splices. 
> 
> From an anon prompt on tumblr: _hey! was wondering if you could do a mckirk high school!au where Jim is a nerd with glasses and quarterback/basketball star Bones pines after him. and when they do, hang out he gets jealous and overprotective when John Harrison who also seems to have a crush on Jim_

The Kirk family moves in next doors when Leo is seventeen, or well Jim does, and his uncle Frank, who is a sour-faced bully if Leo ever saw one. 

"You can't tell that from looking at someone, sweetheart," his mother says, ruffling his hair as if he's seven not seventeen. 

"Mom," Leo groans, shrugging away. 

\--

He's right, anyway, Frank is a bully, and Jim who's all bright smile and sky-blue eyes behind clunky glasses in school, turns into a pale, quiet ghost when he's at home. Leo sees him sometimes, reading out on the back porch in the evenings with a blanket over his shoulders and a flashlight illuminating the pages, which is okay in August and most of September but makes Leonard stomach lurch when October is unusually cold. 

"Just invite him over for some hot chocolate," Leo's mom suggests, when she catches Leo glancing over at the Kirk house for the umpteenth time. 

"We're not four," Leo says heatedly but eventually he does just that because it's getting dark and Jim looks cold. 

\--

"You have a very nice house, Mrs. McCoy," Jim says, hands wrapped tightly around his cup of cocoa. 

"Call me Elle, honey," she responds. "And thank you." 

Then it's just Jim and Leo at the kitchen table that is too big for two people and Leo can't think of a single thing to say. 

"Thanks for this," Jim mumbles, glancing at Leo over the frames of his clunky glasses. 

"You looked cold," Leo mutters, ignoring the sudden warmth at the pit of his stomach. 

\--

The third time Jim comes over Leo invites him to his room. He doesn't know why, he doesn't particularly want Jim in his room, but it's weird that they just sit at the kitchen table all the time. 

"Nice posters," Jim says, looking around the walls. 

Leo flushes and shrugs jerkily. It's mostly sports stars and cars, and a tanned woman in a bikini over the bed. 

"Hot," Jim remarks, gesturing at the woman. 

Leo shrugs again and sits down on the edge of the bed, putting his back to the half-clad lady. 

"So what do you have on your walls?" he asks, when Jim's sat down on his desk chair and rolled over to the bookcase. 

Jim doesn't look up. "Nothing." 

\-- 

Somehow they become friends, which, if Leo's honest with himself, is basically all Jim's doing. If it'd been up to Leo they'd just have been sitting around in awkward silence forever. 

"He's pretty good," Hikaru says, eyeing Jim who's going one on one with Scotty, Pavel's older brother. 

"Yeah," Leo agrees, wolf-whistling when Jim scores over Scotty's head. "He could make the team if he wanted." 

Jim doesn't want to when Leo asks he just shrugs and says: "not my scene." 

Much much later when they're drunk on cheap beer in Nyota's basement, he whispers: "my brother used to play," and the bottom drops out of Leo's stomach because Jim's brother is dead, he knows that much. 

\--

Jim's mother, Winona, comes home for Thanksgiving like a blonde whirlwind and Leo doesn't see Jim for a week. 

"Where's your little boyfriend?" John Harrison asks, hoisting a ball at Leo's face. 

"Fuck off," Leo growls, catching it before it can break his nose. 

"You know he's a faggot, right?" John taunts, bouncing a ball back and forth between his legs like it's no effort at all. 

"I don't give a flying fuck what he is," Leo says angrily, stomach churning. 

"If he's as good at sucking cock as his lips suggests I might want to give him a try. I hear he's real easy." 

"You stay the fuck away from him," Leo shouts, throwing the ball at John's chest, hard enough to knock him back. 

John laughs. "Jim and Leo sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G." 

Coach Pike breaks them up after that and Leo sits on the bench, fuming, with his hands fisted in his lap. 

"He's an asshole," Hikaru says, jostling Leo's shoulder lightly. "You know we don't care, right?" 

"Yeah," Leo says lowly. "I know." 

\--

"Do you know why everyone at school thinks we're together?" Jim asks a week later, when Winona's left on another job, leaving a quiet subdued Jim in her wake. 

"No idea," Leo mutters, blushing furiously. "I guess we hang out a lot." 

"Bones..." Jim's been calling Leo that ever since he found out Leo wants to be a doctor like his dad. 

" _Don't._ " 

Jim lets it go and Leo tells himself he's grateful. 

\--

Mid-December Leo takes down all of his posters, rolling them neatly and putting them into a poster-tube; all except for the half-naked lady, he crumbles that one up and throws it away. Leo's dad takes him shopping for a couple of nice framed anatomy posters instead and helps him hang them when they get home. 

"My boy all grown up," David McCoy says, sounding a bit choked up. 

"They're just posters, dad," Leo complains, but moments later he wraps his arms around David's midriff, hugging him hard. 

David ruffles his hair and presses a kiss to his temple. "You okay, Leo?" he asks. 

"Yeah," Leo mutters, straightening up. 

"You threw away your naked lady," David remarks, nodding at the trashcan where a corner of the poster hangs over the edge, betraying Leo with a flash of tanned knee. 

Leo shrugs, looking at his feet. "Maybe I don't like her so much anymore," he mumbles, cheeks heating. 

"That's okay." David curls a hand over the back of Leo's neck. "We like who we like, son. That's just the way it is." 

Leo nods mutely, treacherous tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. 

"Your mother and I will love you no matter who you end up loving. You know that right?" 

Leo nods again, refusing to look up even though he knows there will be only warmth and compassion in his father's eyes. 

"Dad," he whispers. "Can Jim come over for Christmas?" 

"Of course, son." David squeezes the back of Leo's neck once before letting go. 

\--

"Oooh, nice posters," Jim says, throwing himself down on Leo's bed and knotting his hands under his head. 

"Dad got them for me," Leo says and then he feels a bit bad because Jim's dad died the day he was born. 

"Cool," Jim says, seemingly unconcerned. 

"So, uhm, is your mom coming home from Christmas?" 

"Nah, she can't get the time off." Jim sounds unconcerned about that too, as if his fucked family life is no big deal, as if it's okay he only sees his mom a couple of times a year. 

"You can come over if you want." Leo is not at all as good at sounding unconcerned. "I mean for Christmas. It gets a bit messy, lots of cousins and aunts and uncles and stuff but... uhm... it'd be nice if you came." 

Leo stares at his hands because basically anything is better than looking at Jim stretched out on his bed like he belongs there. 

"I'd love to," Jim says simply and that's that. 

\--

They go to a party a few days before Christmas. Leo gets drunk on terrible wine and kisses Jocelyn Darnell on the mouth underneath one of the mistletoes strung up everywhere. She giggles and wipes at her lips when he pulls back. 

"You kiss like a snail," she says and he flushes miserably, taking a step back. He used to think he'd get married to Jocelyn one day, the star-forward and the head of the cheerleading squad seemed like a story written in the stars, but the sky changes and these days Leo's more interested in getting a leg over the sun. 

"Sorry," he mutters when it seems she's waiting for something. 

"You could try again," she suggests. 

Leo looks up, catching Jim watching them from across the room. "No, that's okay," he says. "Don't want to slime you anymore than I already have." 

She giggles again and squeezes his arm. "So it's true then? About you and Jim?" 

Leo just shrugs.

\-- 

He finds Jim in the kitchen later, sitting on the counter with his head tipped back against the cabinets. John Harrison stands between Jim's spread knees with his hands on Jim's thighs. 

"So how about it, Jimmy?" he asks. "Want to know what it'd be like with a real man?" 

Leo's across the room in two seconds, hauling John away by his shirt. "Don't you fucking dare," he snarls and then it's a full on brawl that ends with Leo holding a bag of peas wrapped in a towel to a burgeoning black eye. 

"What the fuck, Bones?" Jim asks tightly. "Is this how you do it in Georgia, huh? Should I have thrown myself across the room and punched Joce in the face? I can defend myself I need to. Much better than you anyway, you're a terrible fighter." 

"You looked out of it," Leo mutters. "I thought he was taking advantage." 

"Maybe I was just turned on," Jim says acidly and then it's just Leo and the slowly melting peas. 

\--

For the first time since he was twelve Leo is grounded but it's not like he cares, he doesn't want to go anywhere anyway.

"I'm starting to think it would have been a better punishment to make you go out," Elle remarks. 

Leo shrugs. "I could go sit on the porch if I'm in your way," he says dully. 

Elle is busy preparing the house for the annual Christmas invasion and keeps shooing Leo out of her way. She put him in charge of changing the sheets in the guest rooms and bringing down the extra beds and mattresses from the attic but that's how far she'll allow his help, claiming she's got a system and he'd just mess it up. 

"That's a great idea, honey," Elle says absently. "Bring a blanket and a book." 

Leo brings both those things but after wrapping the blanket around his shoulders he leaves the book on the table. He doesn't feel like reading. The only thing he wants to do is beg Jim for forgiveness but Elle confiscated his phone as part of his punishment. 

He ends up falling asleep curled up in one of the lounge chairs and when he wakes up Jim is sitting on the floor beside the chair with his head tipped back against the armrest. 

"Jim," he says lowly, not quite trusting the testament of his eyes. 

Jim startles, straightening up. After a moment he turns around to sit cross-legged facing Leo, still close enough that Leo could touch him if he reached out. 

"Hi," Leo says dumbly. 

"Nice shiner," says Jim. 

Leo prods at his cheek self-consciously. The bruise has spread under the skin, mottling half his cheek black and purple. "I look like a panda." 

Jim half-smiles, looking at Leo over the rim of his stupid glasses. "Pandas are cute." 

Leo swallows, cheeks flushing. "So are you." 

Jim's smile widens and for the longest of whiles they just grin stupidly at each other. Feeling brave Leo sticks his hand out through the armrest and after a moment Jim reaches out to take it, curling their fingers together. 

"Leo, did you... Oh, hi Jim." 

Jim pulls his hand back like he's been burned and Leo rolls over to sit up properly, pulling the blanket over his lap. 

"What do you want, mum?" he asks, trying to temper both his helpless smile and his blush and failing miserably at both. 

"I just... did you bring the guest beds down like I asked you to?" 

"Yeah, they're in the white room." 

"Good." She hesitates like she wants to point out that Leo is still grounded but then she shakes her minutely and says: "Dinner in twenty minutes, okay?" 

"Okay." 

The silence turns awkward when she leaves. Leo doesn't quite dare to look at Jim. 

"Can I still come over for Christmas?" Jim asks lowly. 

"Yeah, of course," Leo says quickly. "You didn't do anything wrong." 

"It was my fault," Jim points out. 

Leo sighs. "No," he says. "It was definitely mine. I had no right to insert myself into that situation." He picks at the folds of the blanket, still not quite looking at Jim. "I'm sorry." 

"I wanted to make you angry," Jim confesses. "You kissed Joce and I wanted to hurt you back." 

"I'm sorry about that too." 

They fall back into silence but Jim's inched closer during their conversation, close enough for Leo to drop a hand onto his head and run his fingers into his hair like he's wanted to do for months. Jim's eyes flutter shut, look of bliss on his face, and they stay like that, with Leo's fingers carding slowly through Jim's hair, until Elle calls Leo inside for dinner. 

\-- 

Jim somehow manages to charm the entire extended McCoy family within fifteen minutes and Leo catches his dad beaming proudly, as if he raised Jim himself. 

"He's very charming," Leo's aunt Mira says, watching Jim play something complicated involving a lot of props with Leo's youngest cousins, Ellie and Amanda. 

"Yeah," Leo agrees, heart swelling ten sizes. "He is." 

\--

"You can stay if you want," Leo mutters, when it's gotten real late and all the youngest cousins have already gone to bed. "Mom put a spare mattress in my room." 

"I'd like that," says Jim. 

\--

They don't bother to put out the mattress, crawling in under Leo's covers in t-shirts and boxers. 

"I really want to kiss you," Jim says, tracing Leo's bottom lip with his thumb. "But I'm afraid we won't be able to stop if we start." 

Leo, who's hard from Jim's thumb sweeping his mouth, nods and hopes the darkness hides his furious blush. "It'll keep," he agrees. 

\--

They do kiss in the morning while the house is still quiet, soft and slow. 

"Merry Christmas," Leo whispers when they pull apart, cupping the side of Jim's face. He wants so much more than a kiss but it'll have to wait for a time when the entire house isn't full of people and Jim doesn't look quite so fragile. 

"Merry Christmas," Jim echoes, eyes wide and unguarded. After a moment he shifts closer, hiding his face into Leo's neck. "Thanks for inviting me," he mumbles. 

Leo wonders when Jim last had a merry Christmas and wows to make sure they all are after this. Next year they'll be off to college and he doesn't know what will happen then but no matter what Jim will always be welcome at his table. 

He says as much and is rewarded with another slow kiss and a big watery smile. "We'll still be together next Christmas," Jim says. "You can trust me on that." 

"Okay," says Leo. 

(Spoiler: they are.)

\- The End -

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://becominghawk.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/jeyhawk)! Always open to prompts/AUs/ideas!


End file.
